Childhood Obesity (cont.)

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

What are the risks, complications, and long-term health effects of childhood
obesity?

The consequences of childhood obesity may be grouped into three
areas: physical, mental, and economic. The known physical side effects of
obesity are multiple and broad spectrum in character. These include the
following:

Increase in risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus due to excessive
insulin
secretion and organ resistance to insulin